Penn Cambria football coach Jason Grassi says team headed in right direction
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Take away a bad second half against Forest Hills, and the Penn Cambria football team has picked up right where it left off last season.
The Panthers are 3-1 and lead the Altoona Mirror core coverage area in scoring heading into their game against top rival Central Cambria tonight as the teams battle for the Goal Post Trophy.
"We feel good about where we're at right now," Penn Cambria coach Jason Grassi said. "Obviously we don't feel like where we need to be yet. We haven't reached our full potential yet, but we're getting there. I thought our second half last Friday against Bedford, we put it all together defensively and offensively. I feel good about where we are. We're getting a lot of guys reps and working some younger guys in to build some depth, which is really good for us."
Central Cambria is off to a much better start than a year ago at 2-2 and has already matched its win total from all last season.
Ryan Chappell, who leads the Mirror's coverage area with 716 yards rushing, is a big part of that.
"These guys care so much about each other," Central Cambria coach Wade Klezek said. "They are very unselfish, and they play hard. They want to be a physical football team, and I'm proud of how hard they have played, how physical they have been and how well our offensive line has been blocking and opening up holes for Ryan. I'm also proud of Ryan for capitalizing on that."
Penn Cambria has won the rivalry game five years in a row.
"It's a big one that goes back many years," Grassi said. "There's a lot of bragging rights that go with it. We know those guys. We know their staff, and they know us pretty well. We get along outside of it, but when we get between those lines, we're both going for it. We're going to be ready to go. The kids are going to be ready to go, and bragging rights are on the line. You don't need a lot of motivation to get ready for this game."
Klezek said the rivalry transcends just football.
"It's huge," Klezek said. "It's the one game every year that both teams are looking forward to. It's such a fun game and a physical rivalry game. It's definitely a huge game. I have a lot of friends from Cresson that I have played against throughout the years. You always reminisce about those types of games whether it's football, basketball or anything. We're usually close friends, and any time you get to play against people that are close to you, it's always a little extra special."
Penn Cambria will focus on Chappell.
"He's having a heck of a year so far," Grassi said. "He ran the ball well against every opponent they have faced so far. He's going to be a big challenge for us. We'll have to slow him down and hopefully contain him a little bit. If we can stop the run and make them throw, we could have an advantage there, so obviously he's the No. 1 key. Hopefully we do a good job slowing him down, because he's good."
Penn Cambria has been a little more versatile on offense with Blake Lilly leading the Mirror's coverage area in receptions and yards receiving and quarterback Brady Jones among the passing leaders.
"They are a physical team that is well coached," Klezek said. "They have a few explosive athletes that have been doing really good things as well. Their quarterback is a three-year starter that has won a lot of football games. We're going to have to play a really clean game, and we can't make too many mistakes against a team that knows how to win. We're going to have to be physical, play clean and make some plays down the stretch."